Photocopy developing machine having automatic squeeze roller operation



E. H. DU BOIS ETAL 3,095,796 PHOTOCOPY DEVELOPING MACHINE HAVINGAUTOMATIC SQUEEZE ROLLER OPERATION July 2, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledApril 18. 1960 Edgar J1. DzLBoLS Ani/zony George F. Nz'esew flfformsqsJuly 2, 1963 E. H. DU BOIS ETAL 3,095,796

PHOTOCOPY DEVELOPING MACHINE HAVING AUTOMATIC SQUEEZE ROLLER OPERATIONFiled April 18. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EGG Z I /0 .58 37 jisfi l'gii H 9Edgar H, DaBois L 9;: F g v-. V Hid/zany JMaggio gg n E George B Nissan.

E6 5 BY @IZENTORS W4, YW

United States Patent 3,095,796 PHOTOCOPY DEVELOPING MACHINE HAVINGAUTOMATIC SQUEEZE ROLLER OPERATION Edgar H. Du Bois and Anthony J.Mazzio, Chicago, and George P. Niesen, Niles, Ill., assignors to A. B.Dick Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 18,1960, Ser. No. 22,913 9 Claims. (Cl. 9589) This invention rel-ates tophotocopy developing machines or other devices for applying a liquid tosheet material. The invention is particularly applicable to a photocopydeveloping machine of the type in which sheets of photocopy paper arepassed through a developer solution, contained in a trough, and then arefed between a pair of squeeze rollers which squeeze excess solution fromthe sheets.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improveddeveloping machine or other device of the foregoing character, in whichthe liquid is supplied to the trough by a bottle which is swingablebetween a raised position, in which the liquid flows from the bottleinto the trough, and a lowered position, in which the liquid returnsfrom the trough into the bottle, the machine being arranged so that thesqueeze rollers are automatically moved against and away from each otherby the movement of the bottle between its two positions.

Thus, it is a further object of the invention to provide a new andimproved developing machine in which the squeeze rollers areautomatically separated when the operator swings the bottle to itslowered position so as to return the solution to the bottle. Thisarrangement avoids the need for separating the rollers manually, andprevents any possible damage that might be caused to the rollers byholding them in contact with each other while the machine is idle for anextended period of time.

The present invention results in a machine which is easier to operate,less subject to wear and tear, and more nearly foolproof thanheretofore.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear fromthe following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a photocopy developing machine to bedescribed as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, themachine being shown with its top cover or housing removed for clarity ofillustration.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the developingmachine, showing particularly the swingably mounted bottle for holdingthe supply of the developing solution.

'FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along a line 33 in FIG. l1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along a line 44in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken generally along a line 5-5in FIG. .1.

It will be seen that the drawings illustrate a developing machineadapted to apply a developing solution to I and 16 adapted to squeezeexcess solution from the sheets. During the operation of the machine,the rollers 14 and 16 are continuously rotated by a suitable electricmotor 18. Gears 20 and 22 are mounted on the roller shafts 24 and 26 andare connected to the motor 18 3,095,796 Patented July 2, 1963 2 by asuitable drive 28, which may be of the worm gear type.

A supply of the developing solution is adapted to be contained in abottle or tank 30 which is removably mounted on a swingable head 32, sothat the bottle may be swung between an inverted position in which thedeveloping solution will flow from the bottle into the tube 12, and alowered upright position in which the solution flows back into thebottle from the trough. In FIG. 1, the rotatable head 32 is shown in theposition in which the bottle is held in its raised inverted position.FIG. 2 shows the bottle 30 in its lowered upright position. Flexibletubes or hoses 34 and 36 are provided to connect the bottle 30 to thetrough 12. The upper hose 34 is adapted to establish the level of theliquid in the trough 12 when the bottle 30 is inverted. The lower hose36 is adapted to drain the liquid back into the bottle 30 when it ismoved .to its lowered upright position.

It will be seen that the bottle supporting head 32 is rotatably mountedon a horizontal shaft 38. The bottle 30 is adapted to be screwed ortwisted into and out of locking engagement with the head 32.

As shown to best advantage in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ends of the shaft 24for the rear squeeze roller -14 are rotatably supported in half bearings40 mounted at the rear ends of generally L-shaped slots 42 which areformed in end plates or walls 44. -It will be seen that the end plates44 .form the end walls of the trough 12. The slots 42 extend downwardlyfrom the upper edges of the end plates 44 and then extend rearwardly totheir closed rear ends at which the half bearings 40- are located. Itwill be apparent that the rear roller 14 may readily be removed from themachine by withdrawing the ends of the shaft 24 through the slots 42.The horizontal portion 46 of each slot 42 is inclined rearwardly so thatgravity will normally carry the roller shaft .24 against the bearings 4dat the rear ends of the slots 42.

The front squeeze roller 16 is mounted for movement against and awayfrom the rear roller 14. Thus, the ends of the shaft 26 for the frontroller 16 are rotatably carried by half bearings 50 which are mounted onswingable arms 52. It will be seen that the arms 52 are supported forswinging movement about pivots 54. The shaft 26 extends throughenlarge-d slots 56 formed in the end walls 44. The slots 56 aresufliciently large to provide for the movement of the shaft 26 when thearms 52 are swung back and forth, and to provide for easy removal of thefront roller 16 by withdrawing the ends of the shaft 26 through theslots 56.

In .accordance with the present invention, a linkage 60 is providedbetween the swingable bottle head 32 and the movable front squeezeroller 16 so that the roller 16 will automatically be moved against andaway from the roller '14 when the bottle 30 is swung between its areconnected to the roller supporting arms 52. Each spring link 62comprises a link bar or member 64. A pin and slot connection is providedbetween the front end of the link bar 64 and the upper end of thecorresponding arm 52. Thus, a longitudinal slot 66 is formed in thefront portion of the link bar 64. A pin 68 extends through the slot 66and is mounted in the upper end of the arm 52. Thus, the link bar 64 isslida'ble relative to the pin 68. This sliding movement is normallytaken up by a compression coil spring 70 which is disposed between stopwashers 72 and 74. It will be seen that the stop washer '72 engages theouter end of the arm 52. The stop washer 74 engages a shoulder '76 onthe link bar 3 64. Thus, in effect, the link 62 is compressible againstthe resilient resistance of the spring 7%.

The front ends of the links 64 are connected to arms 78 by pivot pins859. The arms '78 are secured to a shaft 32 and are arranged to extendupwardly therefrom. It will be noted that the shaft 82 extends along theentire length of the trough 2 so as to :form a connection between thetwo arms '78. At one end, the shaft 82 is fitted with an additional arm'86 which has a pin and slot connection with the swingable bottlesupporting head 32.

Thus, a pin 88 is mounted on the head 32. This pin extends through alongitudinal slot 90 which is provided in the arm 86. The arrangement issuch that rotation of the head 32 between its two positions will swingthe arm 36 back and forth through a suificient rangeto move the roller16 against and away from the roller 14.

It may be helpful to summarize the operation of the developing machineltl. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottle or tank 30 is in its loweredposition, in which the bottle 30 is upright. With the bottle in thisposition, the liquid will drain from the trough 12 into the bottle 30through the hose 3-6. The linkage 60 is also shown in a positioncorresponding to the lowered position of the bottle 30. It will be seenthat the arms 52 are swung forwardly so that the front squeeze roller 16is separated from the rear squeeze roller 14. This is the position whichthe roller 16 occupies when the machine is shut down. The separation ofthe rollers 14 and 16 prevents any possible damage that might be causedto the rollers by holding them together for an extended period of timewith the rollers stationary.

The bottle 30 is adapted to he swung rearwardly and upwardly into araised position in which the bottle 30 is inverted. In FIG. 1, thebottle supporting head 32 is shown in a position corresponding to theraised position of the bottle. In this position of the bottle, theliquid flows from the bottle 30 through the hose 34- and into the trough12.

When the bottle 30 is raised, the pin 88, which is mounted on the bottlehead 32, is swung in a clockwise direction about the shaft 38, from theposition of the pin shown in FIG. 4. The pin -88 moves along the slot 90and swings the arm $6 in a counterclockwise direction and downwardly.Thus, the shaft 82 is rotated in such a direction as to swing the arms 78 rearwardly. This causes the spring links 62 to push the arms 52rearwardly, so as to move the front squeeze roller 16 against the rearsqueeze roller 14. After the roller 16 engages the roller 14, the linkbars 64 continue to move rearwardly while the pins 68 slide in the slots66. Such movement of the link bars 64 compresses the springs 70 so thatconsiderable pressure is applied between the rollers 14 and 16.

When the operator is through using the machine, she swings the bottle 39into its lowered position, shown in FIG. 2, so that the liquid willdrain from the trough d2 into the bottle 36] through the hose 36. Thedownward movement of the bottle 3t returns the pin in a counterclockwisedirection to the position shown in FIG. 4. Such movement of the pinrotates the shaft 82 so as to swing the arms 78 forwardly. The resultingforward movement of the spring link 62 swings the arms 52 forwardly soas to separate the roller .16 from the roller 14. The rollers may thenreadily be removed for cleaning if de sired. There will be no dangerthat the rollers will stick together while the machine is idle.Moreover, the separation of the rollers eliminates any possibility thatflats will be formed on the rollers by prolonged engagement therebetweenwhile they are not rotating.

Since the separation of the rollers is automatic, the machine is easy tooperate and virtually foolproof. At the same time, the machine isdurable and inexpensive in construction.

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalentsmay be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of theinvention, as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined inthe following claims.

We claim:

1. In a developing machine, the combination comprising a trough forholding developer solution, a bottle for holding a reserve supply of thesolution, a rotatable head for receiving and supporting said bottle formovement between an elevated inverted position and a lowered uprightposition, means for carrying the solution from said bottle to saidtrough when said bottle is in said inverted position 'while returningthesolution from said trough to said bottle when said bottle is in saidlowered position, a pair of squeeze rollers mounted over said trough forsqueezing excess solution from photographic sheet material received fromsaid trough, means supporting one of said rollers for movement againstand away from the other of said rollers and means linking said lastmentioned means to said rotatable head for moving said one rolleragainst the other roller when said bottle is moved to said invertedposition while moving said one roller away from said other roller whensaid bottle is moved to said lowered position.

2. In a developing machine, the combination comprising a trough forreceiving developer solution, a bottle for holding a supply of thedeveloper solution, a rotatable head receiving said bottle for swingingmovement between a raised inverted position and a lowered uprightposition, conduit means connecting said bottle to said trough forcarrying solution from said bottle to said trough when said bottle is insaid inverted position while carrying the solution from said trough tosaid bottle when said bottle is in said lowered position, first andsecond squeeze rollers mounted above said trough for receivingphotographic sheet material from said trough to squeeze excess solutionfrom the sheet material, a pair of swingable members supporting saidfirst roller for movement against and away from said second roller, apair of spring links connected to said swingable members, a pair of armsconnected to said links, a rotatable shaft secured to said arms, anadditional arm secured to said shaft and having a generally longitudinalslot therein, and a pin mounted on said rotatable head and received insaid slot for moving said first roller against said second roller whensaid bottle is swung to its inverted position while moving said firstroller away from said second roller when said bottle is swung to saidupright position.

3. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a bottle for holding asupply of the liquid, conduit means connected between said bottle andsaid trough for carrying the liquid to and from said trough, swingablemeans supporting said bottle for movement between a raised invertedposition in which the liquid fiows into the trough and a lowered uprightposition in which the liquid flows from the trough into the bottle,first and second squeeze rollers disposed over the trough for receivingsheet material from the trough to squeeze excess liquid from the sheetmaterial, means mounting said first roller for movement against and awayfrom said second roller, and a linkage connected between said lastmentioned means and said swingable means for moving said first rolleragainst said second roller when said bottle is inverted while movingsaid first roller away from said second roller when said bottle is movedinto said upright position.

4. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a bottle for holding asupply of the liquid, conduit means connected between said bottle andsaid trough for carrying the liquid to and from said trough, swingablemeans supporting said bottle for movement between a raised invertedposition in which the liquid flows into the trough and a lowered uprightposition in which the liquid flows from the trough into the bottle,first and second squeeze rollers disposed over the trough for receivingsheet material from the trough to squeeze excess liquid from the sheetmaterial, means mounting said first roller for movement against and awayfrom said second roller, and means connected between said last mentionedmeans and said swingable means for moving said first roller against saidsecond roller when said bottle is inverted while moving said firstroller away from said second roller when said bottle is moved into saidupright position.

5. In a machine for applying liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a bottle for holding asupply of the liquid, a rota-table head receiving said bottle forswinging movement between a raised inverted position and a loweredupright position, conduit means connecting said bottle to said troughfor carrying the liquid from said bottle to said trough when said bottleis in said inverted position while carrying the liquid from said troughto said bottle when said bottle is in said lowered position, first andsecond squeeze rollers mounted above said trough for receiving sheetmaterial from said trough to squeeze excess liquid from the sheetmaterial, a pair of movable members supporting sa-id first roller formovement against and away from said second roller, a pair of springlinks connected to said movable members, a pair of arms connected tosaid links, a rotatable shaft secured to said arms, an additional armsecured to said shaft and having a generally longitudinal slot therein,and a pin mounted on said rotatable head and received in said slot formoving said first roller against said second roller when said bottle isswung to its inverted position while moving said first roller away fromsaid second roller when said bottle is swung to said upright position.

6. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a bottle for holding asupply of the liquid, conduit means connected between said bottle andsaid trough for carrying the liquid to and from said trough, swingablemeans supporting said bottle for movement between a raised invertedposition in which the liquid flows into the trough and a lowered uprightposition in which the liquid flows from the trough into the bottle,first and second squeeze rollers disposed over the trough for receivingsheet material from the trough to squeeze excess liquid from the sheetmaterial, means mounting said first roller for movement against and awayfrom said second roller, and a linkage connected between said lastmentioned means and said swingable means for moving said first rolleragainst said second roller when said bottle is inverted while movingsaid first roller away from said second roller when said bottle is movedinto said upright position, said linkage comprising spring means forresiliently pressing said first roller against said second roller.

7. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a tank for holding asupply of the liquid, conduit means connected between said tank and saidtrough for carrying the liquid to and from said trough, swingable meanssupporting said tank for movement between a raised inverted position inwhich the liquid flows into the trough and a lowered upright position inwhich the liquid flows from the trough into the tank, first and secondsqueeze rollers disposed over the trough for receiving sheet materialfrom the trough to squeeze liquid from the sheet material, meansmounting said first and second rollers for relative movement against andaway from each other, and a linkage connected between said lastmentioned means and said swingable means for moving said rollers againsteach other when said tank is inverted while moving said rollers awayfrom each other when said tank is moved into said upright position.

8. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a trough for receiving the liquid, a tank for holding asupply of the liquid, conduit means connected between said tank and saidtrough for carrying the liquid to and from said trough, swingable meanssupporting said tank for movement between a raised inverted position inwhich the liquid flows into the trough and a lowered upright position inwhich the liquid flows from the trough into the tank, first and secondsqueeze rollers disposed over the trough for receiving sheet materialfrom the trough to squeeze liquid from the sheet material, meansmounting said first and second rollers for relative movement against andaway from each other, and a linkage connected between said lastmentioned means and said swingable means for moving said rollers againsteach other when said tank is inverted While moving said rollers awayfrom each other when said tank is moved into said upright position, saidlast mentioned means and said linkage comprising spring means forresiliently pressing said rollers against each other.

9. In a machine for applying a liquid to sheet material, the combinationcomprising a first receptacle for receiving the liquid, a closedreceptacle for holding a supply of the liquid, conduit means connectedbetween said first receptacle and said closed receptacle for carryingthe liquid to and from said first receptacle, swingable means supportingsaid closed receptacle for movement between a raised inverted positionin which the liquid flows into the first receptacle and a loweredupright position in which the liquid flows from the first receptacleinto the closed receptacle, first and second squeeze rollers disposedabove the first receptacle for receiving sheet material therefrom tosqueeze liquid from the sheet material, means mounted on said first andsecond rollers for relative movement against and away from each other,and means connected between said last-mentioned means and said swingablemeans for moving said rollers against each other when said closedreceptacle is inverted, while moving said rollers away from each otherwhen said closed receptacle is moved into said upright position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,492,377 Camphouse Dec. 27, 1949 2,762,281 Kleinstra Sept. 11, 19562,764,180 Bergman Sept. 25, 1956

9. IN A MACHINE FOR APPLYING A LIQUID TO SHEET MATERIAL, THE COMBINATIONCOMPRISING A FIRST RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING THE LIQUID, A CLOSEDRECEPTACLE FOR HOLDING A SUPPLY OF THE LIQUID, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTEDBETWEEN SAID FIRST RECEPTACLE AND SAID CLOSED RECEPTACLE FOR CARRYINGTHE LIQUID TO AND FROM SAID FIRST RECEPTACLE, SWINGABLE MEANS SUPPORTINGSAID CLOSED RECEPTACLE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RAISED INVERTED POSITIONIN WHICH THE LIQUID FLOWS INTO THE FIRST RECEPTACLE AND A LOWEREDUPRIGHT POSITION IN WHICH THE LIQUID FLOWS FROM THE FIRST RECEPTACLEINTO THE CLOSED RECEPTACLE, FIRST AND SECOND SQUEEZE ROLLERS DISPOSEDABOVE THE FIRST RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIVING SHEET MATERIAL THEREFROM TOSQUEEZE LIQUID FROM THE SHEET MATERIAL, MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FIRST ANDSECOND ROLLERS FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT AGAINST AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER,AND MEANS CONNECTED